Senate probe into water contracts sought after complaints of poor service

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May 5, 2025 | 4:06pm

MANILA, Philippines — Minority Sen. Risa Hontiveros has asked the Senate to investigate water?supply deals after consumers in several regions complained of erratic service and soaring bills.

In Senate Resolution 1352, Hontiveros seeks a full review of agreements between local water districts and private concessionaires.

“No one is too big to be investigated. These water concessionaires need to be probed because too many of our countrymen are thirsty for good services in the midst of the dry season,” she said in Filipino.

Services that arrive only in drips, she added, “will not suffice.”

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has already ordered a fact?finding inquiry into the large concessionaire due to complaints from Bulacan.

Hontiveros, meanwhile, said existing audit findings are enough for immediate action. Malacañang’s probe, she noted, can proceed while the Senate conducts its own.

SR 1352 directs the Senate Committee on Public Services to examine joint?venture contracts with three major operators, particularly PrimeWater, Manila Water Philippine Ventures and Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp.

The Commission on Audit already flagged several agreements for ambiguous terms, Hontiveros said.

“These identified problems have reportedly led to detrimental outcomes for water districts, including diminished financial standing — as seen in the San Jose Del Monte Water District post-JVA (joint venture agreement) — and for the consuming public, who have experienced poor service quality, inadequate water supply, and significant increases in water tariff,” the resolution read.

Local officials in Bulacan were among the first to seek national help, telling senators that taps often ran dry even as prices climbed.